Destiny 2: The Final Shape is finally in the hands of players, and has enjoyed critical and commercial success as the final chapter to a long-standing war between Light and Darkness. Your Guardian and Ghost take on new enemies with new weapons, in places never before explored in the franchise’s history, making for an experience that is sure to stay with its players long after they roll the credits on the game.

One of the main draws in The FInal Shape for players was the return of fan-favorite characters like Nathan Fillion’s Cayde-6 in a touching reunion that occurred during the game’s first mission. However, Cayde-6 seems to have overshadowed the return of another popular character: the merchant Xur.

A Most Welcome Addition to The Final Shape

Xur, Agent of the Nine is a vendor of exotic goods who was in the original Destiny before his triumphant return in The Final Shape. His addition to the game comes on the heels of Bungie’s decision to scrap Legendary Shards, a currency that was intended to be rare but ended up being easily farmable by players. They were replaced by currencies like Glimmer, Enhancement Cores, and Strange Coins.

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Of the three, it is Strange Coins that are significant to Xur’s return, as they are the currency that he accepts in return for providing your Guardian with Exotic weapons and armor alongside Legendary gear. His wares don’t come cheap and knowing where to find Strange Coins in Destiny 2: The Final Shape is paramount to getting your hands on the best of what Xur has to offer.

You’ll Need These: Locations of Strange Coins in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and Why They’re Important

Having previously covered how important Strange Coins are to your time in The Final Shape, it’s time to look at ways you can get them. They are no longer rewards from activities like Dares of Eternity or Paraversal Hauls. Instead, you will need to participate in Ritual Activities to earn them as rewards.

Activities that reward Strange Coins include Vanguard, Crucible, Gambit Matches, Iron Banner, Onslaught, and Trials. Completing any of these activities nets you anything between two to four Strange Coins which means that you will have to do a lot of farming to pick up the items you want from Xur’s store.

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As for where to find Xur himself, you can fast-travel to either of the points in the Tower and head to the Ramen Shop in the bazaar. You will find Xur in an alleyway on the right of the shop. The shop itself is in the back of the area where you find Ikora and Hawthorne.

You will need to put in some effort towards farming Strange Coins as Xur’s wares are pricey, with Legendary items priced at 17 Strange Coins while Exotic items are priced at 23 each. Moreover, Exotic Catalyst cost a whopping 74 Strange COins which means that you will need to play a lot of Ritual Activities to buy all of the items you need. That’s compounded by the fact that Xur’s wares are on a weekly rotation, meaning that you will have to work fast to earn the Coins you need.

However, there is a remedy to that problem. While Strange Coins are a random drop from Campaign Missions as well, there is no way of knowing when you may grab one aside from Rituals. However, it looks like the adage “spend money to make money” is very much in play here, as spending 47 Strange Coins earns you a loyalty bonus from Xur in the form of the stackable Strange Favor buff.

When this is active, you effectively double the amount of Strange Coins you earn, making it a lot easier to begin buying more items from Xur. The icing on the cake is that you can get more than one Strange Favor at a time as Xur bestows one upon your Guardian every time they spend the requisite number of Strange Coins at his store.

Although you can only earn one per week, collecting three of them means that you can keep the buff going for a very long time considering that the buff lasts for eleven days once you use it. By earning enough Strange Coins each week and spending them with impunity at Xur’s store, you effectively ensure that you keep a constant flow of this rare currency coming in. What’s more, you can stack the buff to earn even more Coins!

This means that you will only need to farm out the first 47 Strange Coins in Destiny 2: The Final Shape before you continuously earn enough of them to be able to afford anything you may fancy from Xur’s wares. Quite a well-balanced system of supply and demand once you get past the initial hurdle of earning your first Strange Favor.

You will need to get your hands on better gear for your Guardian’s loadout, as the new enemy types and bosses you encounter are sure to give you a few challenging fights. Dolgoth and the Enlightened Omen are no pushovers, and even they pale in comparison to the expansion’s main antagonist The Witness.

For more help with Destiny 2 and The Final Shape, be sure to check out our detailed guides to power through whatever the game throws at you and be a part of the final chapter of an epic story.